By Randell D. Turner, PhD “I realize that you don’t know me and I’m only a face in a crowd of teenagers… . Why don’t I have a father like you? You made me cry today when you talked about the relationship you have with your daughter and how you show her you love her. […]

DrinkChoice Prospectus A. Introduction DrinkChoice is a brief intervention program intended to prevent and eliminate alcohol problems among its clients by offering a choice to either cut down or quit drinking altogether. Brief intervention consists of a 1-hour assessment, then four 1-hour sessions, or five-1.5 hour group sessions, or three 40-50 minute self help sessions. […]

Alternative Treatments for addictions: Promises & Perils Michael Scott, MD, Medical Director of Sierra Tucson, an Arizona treatment center for addictions, says that “Medicine has set itself up as a body of knowledge that is almost impenetrable by the public. For some decades, it has spoken little to its patients; and when it did, it […]

Are Women More Vulnerable to Alcohol’s Effects? National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism No. 46 December 1999 ———————————————————————— Women appear to be more vulnerable than men to many adverse consequences of alcohol use. Women achieve higher concentrations of alcohol in the blood and become more impaired than men after drinking equivalent amounts of alcohol. […]

Is Faster Better? A basic premise in North America is that faster is better. From instant tea to dinners, & super fast computers; if there’s a way to do something faster, we’ll figure how to do it, and not miss a beat – or a coffee break – in the bargain. That’s the big reason […]

Can Marriage Survive Addiction? By Erica Orloff G and his future wife, S, met at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting when both were newly sober. Ignoring advice from their respective sponsors to avoid forming new relationships in the first year of sobriety, they embarked on an intense physical and emotional love affair that culminated in marriage […]

Adolescent Treatment: Its History and Current Renaissance William L. White, MA, Michael Dennis, PhD, & Frank M. Tims, PhD The United States experienced a number of troubling drug trends during the past decade. Most prominent among these trends was a surge in youthful polydrug use (cannabis, stimulant, hallucinogen, sedative), a rise in juvenile opiate addiction, […]

Al-Anon Family Groups The members of this Al-Anon Family Group share with you what it is like to come to a meeting for the first time. There may be a few things you are wondering about. We are often asked about the group and what happens at our meetings. If you have questions, be sure […]

Acupuncture: A Valuable Adjunct Therapy: Michael O. Smith, MD, DAc “Acu detox,” a simple and low-cost technique derived from acupuncture, is now used by approximately 1,000 addiction treatment programs in the United States and abroad. Clinical evidence supports its use in ameliorating withdrawal and craving symptoms of alcohol, opioid, and cocaine dependence, as well as […]

Following is a commonly used list of characteristics of codependency: 1. My good feelings about who I am stem from being liked by you 2. My good feelings about who I am stem from receiving approval from you 3. Your struggle affects my serenity. My mental attention focuses on solving your problems/relieving your pain 4. […]